Review by: Hasanbegovic, Jasmina (2004-08-25)

The authors analyse the necessity of metacognitive skills for learning in hypermedia environments depending on the navigational structure of the Web in conducting a quasi- experimental research setting. The presented study investigates how learners search a hypermedia environment by following links presented either as an outline (linear) or as a nonlinear Web. The goal was to demonstrate that the latter would encourage learners to use their metacognitive skills.

Twenty-eight elementary and secondary students participated in this study and worked in intact groups in a large state-of-the-art classroom. The learners, ranging in age from nine to 17 years, were randomly assigned and instructed to complete a demographic data sheet acquiring background information from each participant and two metacognitive questionnaires. After having read the instructions, the Internet search task was commenced where the learners had to record everything they learned from a site on the temperate rainforest. After a supervised break they were led through the locational memory task, where students have to find 10 Web pages in the rainforest site, given general verbal cues about salient information contained on the page.

The results showed that students in the outline condition remembered more idea units from the rainforest site than learners of the puzzle site. Relationships between variables showed significant correlations between the number of targets found and the number of idea units learners recalled, as well as to learners’ metacognitive skills and experience using the Internet. Metacognition significantly predicted learners’ retention when navigating within the puzzle site. Even if the results underline the presence of metacognitive skills as a necessary condition for learning, the stimulation of the learner to use the metacognitive skills in and through the learning environment is of great importance for the release of the working memory. The authors conclude the article with the consideration of the demands that the structure of the site places upon learners’ working memory.

The importance of metacognitive skills in nonlinear learning environments demands closer attention concerning the stimulating features (not only the navigational structure) of a learning environment to use metacognitive skills. Furthermore, for a higher reliability and validity the experiment has to be repeated and a more represenatitive sample has to be considered.